Former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, who led his country from 1984 to 1993, has died at the age of 84.

Mulroney, the 18th prime minister in Canada’s history and conservative leader passed away “peacefully, surrounded by family,” his daughter posted online.

Mulroney led Canada through the closing days of the Cold War and forged a free trade agreement with the United States, BBC said.

According to BBC, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was “devastated” to learn of his death.

“He never stopped working for Canadians, and he always sought to make this country an even better place to call home,” Mr Trudeau posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“I’ll never forget the insights he shared with me over the years — he was generous, tireless, and incredibly passionate.”

Mr Trudeau also asked the public to “also acknowledge – and celebrate – Mr Mulroney’s role in building the modern, dynamic, and prosperous country we all know today”.

Born in a blue collar paper mill town in north-eastern Quebec, Mulroney began his career as a lawyer and business executive before taking over as the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party and becoming prime minister.

In 1974, he was tapped to participate in a commission to investigate the James Bay hydroelectric project, helping to author a bombshell report that described organised criminal infiltration of labour unions involved in the project.

In 1983, Mulroney won a parliamentary seat in Nova Scotia, and became the leader of the conservatives. He took office as prime minister in 1984, taking over from the Liberal Party’s Pierre Trudeau. He handily won re-election in 1988.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on Thursday described Mulroney as “a gifted public speaker”, one of the country’s most controversial prime ministers and “unafraid to tackle the most challenging issues of his era”.